CHUD.com Community › Forums › CULTURE, HUMOR, & FREE FORM › Misc. Culture › Like to Tinker? NASA's Looking for You
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Like to Tinker? NASA's Looking for You

post #1 of 6
Thread Starter 
Cool story:

Quote:
STEVE JONES doesn't have a workshop, exactly, for his miniature space elevator; he is designing it in his dorm room and in four labs scattered across the University of British Columbia.

He doesn't have a staff, either; a collection of friends and fellow space enthusiasts volunteer to help. And his budget, in the low five figures, comes mostly from the school activities fund, although Red Bull is donating some energy drinks.

But he might soon have a chance to join the ranks of the aerospace establishment by getting money from NASA and, in his own way, helping explore the solar system. To get ready, he is spending 60 hours a week on his elevator, which is meant to haul people and gear into orbit without a rocket. He has even put off graduation until the project is done.
post #2 of 6
This thread is spiralling out of control! Stop it before impact!

IMHO, space elevators are cool, but we've got a loooooooooong way to go in materials research before it's viable.
post #3 of 6
Thread Starter 
I agree, but it's really nice to see NASA putting themselves out there for the public to participate in the creation and advancement of new technologies.
post #4 of 6
Quote:
Originally Posted by phoenix_214
IMHO, space elevators are cool, but we've got a loooooooooong way to go in materials research before it's viable.
I derailed another thread talking about the Elevator a while back. It's closer than you think. Here's an interesting site that tracks it's progress:

http://www.elevator2010.org/site/index.html
post #5 of 6
Had never heard of this "space elevator" thing before. Did a little reading and it IS cool. Huzzah for this kid.
post #6 of 6
Thread Starter 
This is more than the space elevator, but the focus of the story happens to be what the kid is working on.
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Misc. Culture
CHUD.com Community › Forums › CULTURE, HUMOR, & FREE FORM › Misc. Culture › Like to Tinker? NASA's Looking for You